This feature photo won third place and the article itself won honorable mention in the 2022 Michigan Interscholastic Press Association spring awards ceremony.
October 10 represents Mental Health Awareness Day. Although student struggles have been addressed in recent years, many teachers feel their mental health and well-being isn’t nearly as acknowledged.
Tina Ely, a teacher of 28 years, feels strongly about this subject.
“We care deeply about our students, but sometimes [teachers] struggle too,” Ely said. “It’s hard to care for others when we are not feeling good about ourselves. Many times teachers have to pretend that everything is okay when it really isn’t.”
It’s common for people to get so wound up in their own anxieties that they become oblivious to the struggle of others. Students have a handful of assignments and homework to accomplish. What often goes unnoticed is the workload teachers possess as well.
Ely described the teacher’s consistent work and tracking of students’ progress can “[hold a lot of] pressure and be overwhelming.”
Choir director, Jack Phillipson, agrees. He understands what it’s like to have students who are drowning in assignments, especially over the virtual schooling time period.
“They’re the ones rushing to get all their assignments and work done by the due dates. It creates an abundance of stress,” Phillipson said. “We teachers felt that too.”
In addition to the students’ immense number of assignments and tests, teachers have numerous classes, each with different material to prepare and teach each day. As well as having to consistently keep track of each student’s progress.
Even with the Wednesday off, many teachers found themselves working more hours than normal.
“I was working harder last year than ever,” Ely said. “Yet I felt like I wasn’t doing a good job. That was the worst part.”
Many teachers would pour their own time and effort into lesson plans and get excited to share them with their students, all for students to have their mics and cameras off.
“You think [these new lessons are going to] open up a lot of opportunities for students and be enjoyable and then only three people show up [to the Zoom call],” Phillipson said. “It takes the wind out of your sails.”
Isolation from their students and colleagues also plays a key role in their mental health. Many teachers felt disconnected with others when classes were fully virtual. Cameras on zoom calls remained off on the students’ end, leaving teachers feeling alone.
Brian Hendricks, who has been teaching for 16 years and now teaches at the Northview Alternative High School, also feels this way.
“The hardest part was losing out on that interaction with other teachers and other students,” Hendricks said. “Trying to build relationships through the online world was hard and not very enjoyable.”
With the majority of students keeping their cameras off during Zoom calls, and some being quarantined for months on end, the social isolation many teachers experienced over the past year had caused numerous mental health issues.
As a way to get by, many teachers found hobbies and people to help support and care for them during these discouraging times.
“I was able to find time to do things that helped my mental health, like spending more time outside,” Hendricks said.
Despite the challenges of last year, many teachers have put the past behind them and seeked the positives of what is to come.
“It can be difficult to ignore all the chaos that last year brought upon us,” Phillipson said. “But it’s going to be an amazing year…it’s going to be the biggest mental health boost I can imagine.”